The future is bright. That's what everyone says. Everyone believes it
can't get any worse and that things can always get better. As long as we
keep striving for the future. This abstract place beyond our world and our
life. The future was where it was at. Where all problems were solved and
all things made sense. I never believed that bullshit for a minute. To me
the future was another word for never. Things would never get better
because the future was never a realistic destination.
I stared out the window that afternoon feeling the same way I had always felt, apathetic to the rest of the world. I watched the leaves teeter down to the ground in an endless race for once they hit the ground they were swept right back up again. I yawned and pulled my shoulders back hearing the joints grind in their sockets. I looked up at the clock and winced in mental pain. I still had half an hour until I got off work. I was just about to get up when my surly supervisor appeared from the doorway.
"This ain't nap time get your sweet ass back to work baby," he barked. I could tell by the look in his nicotine stained eyes he was thinking about my ass as he spoke. I watched him rub his pudgy dirt caked hands together knowing his thoughts were not clean.
"Oh come on Gus just five more minutes," I pleaded.
"Yeah I suppose five more minutes seeings how you have to work the night shift tonight," he replied.
"What? I wasn't scheduled to work tonight!" I protested, but Gus just gave his half cough half laugh reply.
"Oh yeah wells toos bad sister," then he pulled so close to me I could smell the tar under his fingernails. "I might be able to covers the shift for you if yous uncovers something for me."
"I'll work the shift," I pulled away in disgust. Gus just made a grunt and walked off. I hated working here because they could always schedule you without you knowing. That was the problem with this place nothing was ever set but it was a job. I called out of the doorway. "Is it another cleaning job tonight?"
"No it's an experiment taking place here and theys need some test subjects," Gus hacked back. Test subjects? The last time they had me test something I couldn't taste for a month. They told me the problem would go away in the future. This future that never was. I hated to think what they would have me test tonight. I quickly reached for the phone and dialed my boyfriend's number.
"Hello?" my boyfriend replied.
"Hi Nathan," I said.
"Hey girl how you doing?" he asked.
"Not so good," I groaned.
"What's wrong?" he questioned.
"I have to work tonight," I muttered. I could hear him sigh on the other end.
"Again? This is the third time this week," he said in a disappointed tone.
"I know I'm sorry well I have to go," I replied guiltily.
"Yeah okay I'll talk to you later," he sighed.
"I love you baby," I said encouragingly.
"Yeah I know," was all he said then hung up. I felt so bad but it was my job and you gotta do what you gotta do right? I went down to the testing area to see what experiment I would have to do tonight. Hoping it would not take too long.
Once I reached the basement floor I walked out of the elevator and into the unknown. The scientists here were always performing weird experiments. Normally I'm just cleaning crew but usually when they can't find willing test subjects the cleaning crew become mandatory volunteers. It's a sad job but it paid better than the bank work. The job had horrible hours but good pay and my only way through college. I ran into Professor Smirks and he gave me a quick look over.
"Are you the test subject this evening?" He asked then without waiting for a reply, "You are 2 minutes and 30 seconds late."
"I know but..." I tried to explain.
"That just means you have to stay that much longer," he finished and then ushered me into the testing room.
The testing room was a stark white room usually with nothing in it but a few syringes and creepy looking men in rubber suits. Today however, there was a large titanium capsule with billows of smoke pouring out of the sides. I peered curiously at it while the rubber freaks began inspecting my dimensions.
"So what will I be testing today?" I asked.
"An instant freeze machine," Professor Smirks began, "It will instantly freeze every blood vessel in your body but don't worry the side effects are few and will go away in the near future,"
"Will this kill me?" my voice trembled, but that only made the professor laugh.
" Don't be ridiculous," and then he stopped short, "At least we hope not"
This did not seem promising to me. What was the point in an instant freeze machine and to test it on a human? I hadn't much time to second- guess because the professor began to push me into the capsule.
"Now you will only feel the cold for a second and then you will be thawed okay?" the professor instructed. I nodded as I watched him turn dials and knobs signaling to the other people in the room.
"Are you ready?" he asked me.
"Sure why not," I replied. He shut the capsule and I began to worry about what would happen. All these side effects that he never really made clear. I scoffed at his answer that they would go away in the future. Yes the future the future that did not exist. He held up three fingers then two, then one. He pressed the button and darkness rushed to my brain. Every vein, artery, and capillary ran solid in that spilt second I felt a rush of cold and then the sting of numbness. The last thing I remember thinking before my mind went blank was what Nathan had said to me. "Yeah I know". Then my whole body became rigid as I slipped away in the darkness.
The paralysis only lasted that spilt second and then the capsule popped open. I immediately ran out of the capsule into what had been that white room. Only now the room was no longer white. The walls were lined with capsules similar to the one I burst out of. I began to panic when I heard a large booming voice.
"Welcome to the world of tomorrow!" I turned around to see a scientist I had never seen before.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"Why you are in the future," the scientist replied. At the moment my eye caught the calendar that read July 16th 3004.
I stared out the window that afternoon feeling the same way I had always felt, apathetic to the rest of the world. I watched the leaves teeter down to the ground in an endless race for once they hit the ground they were swept right back up again. I yawned and pulled my shoulders back hearing the joints grind in their sockets. I looked up at the clock and winced in mental pain. I still had half an hour until I got off work. I was just about to get up when my surly supervisor appeared from the doorway.
"This ain't nap time get your sweet ass back to work baby," he barked. I could tell by the look in his nicotine stained eyes he was thinking about my ass as he spoke. I watched him rub his pudgy dirt caked hands together knowing his thoughts were not clean.
"Oh come on Gus just five more minutes," I pleaded.
"Yeah I suppose five more minutes seeings how you have to work the night shift tonight," he replied.
"What? I wasn't scheduled to work tonight!" I protested, but Gus just gave his half cough half laugh reply.
"Oh yeah wells toos bad sister," then he pulled so close to me I could smell the tar under his fingernails. "I might be able to covers the shift for you if yous uncovers something for me."
"I'll work the shift," I pulled away in disgust. Gus just made a grunt and walked off. I hated working here because they could always schedule you without you knowing. That was the problem with this place nothing was ever set but it was a job. I called out of the doorway. "Is it another cleaning job tonight?"
"No it's an experiment taking place here and theys need some test subjects," Gus hacked back. Test subjects? The last time they had me test something I couldn't taste for a month. They told me the problem would go away in the future. This future that never was. I hated to think what they would have me test tonight. I quickly reached for the phone and dialed my boyfriend's number.
"Hello?" my boyfriend replied.
"Hi Nathan," I said.
"Hey girl how you doing?" he asked.
"Not so good," I groaned.
"What's wrong?" he questioned.
"I have to work tonight," I muttered. I could hear him sigh on the other end.
"Again? This is the third time this week," he said in a disappointed tone.
"I know I'm sorry well I have to go," I replied guiltily.
"Yeah okay I'll talk to you later," he sighed.
"I love you baby," I said encouragingly.
"Yeah I know," was all he said then hung up. I felt so bad but it was my job and you gotta do what you gotta do right? I went down to the testing area to see what experiment I would have to do tonight. Hoping it would not take too long.
Once I reached the basement floor I walked out of the elevator and into the unknown. The scientists here were always performing weird experiments. Normally I'm just cleaning crew but usually when they can't find willing test subjects the cleaning crew become mandatory volunteers. It's a sad job but it paid better than the bank work. The job had horrible hours but good pay and my only way through college. I ran into Professor Smirks and he gave me a quick look over.
"Are you the test subject this evening?" He asked then without waiting for a reply, "You are 2 minutes and 30 seconds late."
"I know but..." I tried to explain.
"That just means you have to stay that much longer," he finished and then ushered me into the testing room.
The testing room was a stark white room usually with nothing in it but a few syringes and creepy looking men in rubber suits. Today however, there was a large titanium capsule with billows of smoke pouring out of the sides. I peered curiously at it while the rubber freaks began inspecting my dimensions.
"So what will I be testing today?" I asked.
"An instant freeze machine," Professor Smirks began, "It will instantly freeze every blood vessel in your body but don't worry the side effects are few and will go away in the near future,"
"Will this kill me?" my voice trembled, but that only made the professor laugh.
" Don't be ridiculous," and then he stopped short, "At least we hope not"
This did not seem promising to me. What was the point in an instant freeze machine and to test it on a human? I hadn't much time to second- guess because the professor began to push me into the capsule.
"Now you will only feel the cold for a second and then you will be thawed okay?" the professor instructed. I nodded as I watched him turn dials and knobs signaling to the other people in the room.
"Are you ready?" he asked me.
"Sure why not," I replied. He shut the capsule and I began to worry about what would happen. All these side effects that he never really made clear. I scoffed at his answer that they would go away in the future. Yes the future the future that did not exist. He held up three fingers then two, then one. He pressed the button and darkness rushed to my brain. Every vein, artery, and capillary ran solid in that spilt second I felt a rush of cold and then the sting of numbness. The last thing I remember thinking before my mind went blank was what Nathan had said to me. "Yeah I know". Then my whole body became rigid as I slipped away in the darkness.
The paralysis only lasted that spilt second and then the capsule popped open. I immediately ran out of the capsule into what had been that white room. Only now the room was no longer white. The walls were lined with capsules similar to the one I burst out of. I began to panic when I heard a large booming voice.
"Welcome to the world of tomorrow!" I turned around to see a scientist I had never seen before.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"Why you are in the future," the scientist replied. At the moment my eye caught the calendar that read July 16th 3004.